Sep. 25—GRAND FORKS — Many of the region’s best cross country runners will be competing in Lincoln Park on Saturday.
Grand Forks’ largest cross country meet — the fifth annual Border Battle — will start at 9:45 a.m. with the elementary mile.
Advertisement
After middle school races, the event will feature four varsity races followed by four junior varsity races and a community 3K event.
The A boys varsity 5K runs at 12:30 p.m., followed by the AA boys varsity at 12:55 p.m. The A girls varsity runs at 1:20 p.m., followed by the AA varsity girls at 1:50 p.m.
“Each year, it gets bigger and better,” Red River girls cross country coach Nicole Kopff said. “We make it unique and special. We very much want to put on the best event we can. We’ve taken references from other big races but do things with awards and other things that make it a really cool event and atmosphere.”
The 2025 race featured 2,625 runners across 98 high school teams (Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota). The 2025 race included six new race division records, two 5K course records and an estimated 3,149 fans.
Advertisement
The 2026 race is expected to feature even more runners with 2,682 registered to race. The group includes 98 high school teams, a number that raises to 134 if middle school teams are included.
The 2026 race is expected to feature one of the area’s top runners in Hillsboro-Central Valley’s Claire Grinde, who broke the Class A course record last season at 18 minutes, 7.1 seconds.
Grinde is the No. 1-ranked runner in the North Dakota Class B girls coaches poll this season.
The Perham girls were the AA team winner last season, while the Burros won the A girls title. Sioux Falls Lincoln won the AA boys title, while Bowman County won the A team race.
Advertisement
Grand Forks Red River’s Cohen Dunnigan was the boys’ top local finisher last season in 14th place. Dunnigan is currently ranked No. 8 in the latest North Dakota Class A coaches poll.
The top-ranked local female is Grand Forks Red River’s Peyton Thompson, an eighth-grader. She’s ranked No. 7 in the state and will run in the eighth grade event at the Border Battle.
Thompson recently broke Red River’s school record. The other top two spots on the school’s all-time list were Lauren Dosch and Jocie Schiller. Dosch and Schiller set those marks as seniors.
Thompson ran in the seventh grade Border Battle event last season and broke the course record by 30 seconds.
Advertisement
“Her goal is to do the same exact thing,” Kopff said. “She’s very excited. She’s just extremely dedicated and has a genuine love for the sport. She embodies the hard work that cross country is. She does all the little things.”
Admission for the event is $5. Fans are encouraged to utilize the fan bus pick-up area at the Red River High School main entrance. Following each race, fans will have the opportunity to be transported back to Red River.
The fan bus begins at 10 a.m. Return trips will continue until all fans are returned to Red River High School.
Food trucks will be on site at Lincoln Park for concessions, as well as Central and Red River bake sales.
